The presence of female cops has been recently sensed in Egyptian streets in what is seen as a positive step towards restructuring the police force, one of the main demands of the Jan. 25 Revolution. “Women are not new to the police force, but their numbers have increased after the revolution,” Brigadier General Ayman

Saudi Prince of Jazan Province, Prince Muhammad Bin Nasser, appealed to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and other concerned parties in letter calling for a ban on girls from performing in shows in provincial events. He wrote on the need to monitor the troupes and their level of

Despite a 1996 ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Egypt, the issue continues to be a divisive one, especially amid fears that the ban could be reversed under an Islamist government. Many Egyptians find it difficult to accept the issue is a pressing one and deny the alarmingly high statistics, like one by

From corner fruit stalls in Hebron to chic Ramallah ballet studios, Palestinian women are making their mark in business, some out of necessity and others looking to break the gender mould and pursue a dream. For Shyrine Ziadeh, a 24-year-old Birzeit University graduate, that dream was to open a dance studio. Now the

Iraqi women face court-ordered virginity tests that often show they were virgins until marriage but shame them nonetheless, doctors at an institute that carries out the tests and a lawyer told AFP. Remaining a virgin until marriage can be an issue of life or death for women in the Middle East, where those who

A few years ago, it was not acceptable for a Saudi girl to travel abroad alone, and if she did, it was discreetly. This, however, is no longer the case. Attitudes towards Saudi girls traveling on their own has undergone a substantial shift and now the number of young girls traveling without a male

An Egyptian plumber in Alexandria beat his pregnant wife to death upon learning that she had not voted for Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohammed Mursi, reported the Egyptian daily al-Wafd on Sunday. According to police reports, the initial argument between the couple who was not named escalated into violence, despite her pleas. Battered and

Single women in Iran are fighting for freedom in order to pursue their dreams, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Traditionally, Iranian women either live with their parents or husband yet some are desperate to lead an independent life to pursue studies or other hopeful dreams. However, women are generally declined the chance

When Dr Zabina Shahian married Pervez Choudhry she thought he would be the man with whom she would settle down for the rest of her life and start a family. But she did not know the former Conservative party leader on Slough Borough Council was still married. Choudhry, 54, who claimed he did

Women in Iran are being banned from watching live public screenings of Euro 2012 football games because of an “inappropriate” environment where men could become rowdy, a deputy police commander said Sunday. “It is an inappropriate situation when men and women watch football in (movie) theatres together,” said Bahman Kargar, Iran’s deputy police commander